The Ghost in the Halls
by maitreya22
Summary: A ghost with a need for revenge haunts the halls of Torrington and one student in particular: Diana. Her world is turned upside down by the haunting nightmares and freaky visions that are invading her life. Martin steps up to the challenge, determined to
1. Chapter 1

This is an eventual Martin/Diana fic. They just make such a cute couple!

Disclaimer: Martin Mystery or its characters do not belong to me. They belong to Marathon. I'm just playing with them a bit. ;)

**The Ghost in the Halls**

Diana peeked her head out of her dorm room, looking both ways down the dark, empty hallways. Of course the halls were empty. Anyone in their right mind would be asleep at 2 in the morning. Why wasn't she in her nice, soft, warm bed dreaming sweet dreams like every other student here? That was a good question.

She stepped fully out of her room, dressed in her purple thigh length nightshirt, frowning. She was sure she heard someone knocking on her door, waking her up. If she had to guess at who that someone was, the prize would go to her annoying stepbrother, Martin. Probably bored out of his mind, he found nothing better to do than to give her the creeps, only to have her go berserk trying to figure out who it was.

"Alright, Martin!" she called out, completely confident that it was him. "You've gotten me out of bed on a _school_ night with another one of your lame jokes! Congratulations! You win."

She crossed her arms and tapped her right foot, waiting. Any minute now, he'll appear from the shadows, laughing his head off at her expense. She continued tapping. Yep. Any minute now.

"Martin Mystery! If I have to find you, I'm gonna clobber you!" she exclaimed, getting more annoyed by the second. Though, this was a little off. Martin surely would have shown himself by now to gloat on succeeding in waking her up. This was a little...un-Martin like.

"_Diana..._"

She turned back, looking down the seemingly long, never ending hallway at the sound of her name.

"Huh?" she said to herself, straining to see in the darkness. "Come on, Martin. You got me. You've spooked me out, okay?" She managed a small chuckled. "Martin?"

That voice belonged to a girl, so how could it be Martin? Ah. He got some girl to do it for him. Yeah, that's it. But...he couldn't get a date much less get a girl to stay up this late just to scare his step sister. Hey, anything's possible, right? Especially when it comes down to Martin Mystery.

"_Diana..._"

The eerie voice seemed closer now and not only that, but it was accompanied by footsteps similar to the ones that woke her up!

"M-Martin?" she called out softly, her voice shaky. Her arms dropped to her side as she stared into the darkness of where the voice originated from. She blinked quickly several times, listening as the footsteps and the voice seemed just a couple of feet from her, before she turned back the other way and ran.

She was a smart girl and she knew when to run, now being one of those times! She ran as fast as she could, her white socks causing her to slide around corners when she turned. She hardly ever slept in socks, so why now of all nights did she put them on! She couldn't remember ever running this fast before in her life. Though she had never had a set of footsteps and some creepy person calling out her name in a ghostly tone, chasing her through the hallways of her own school! Boy, if this was Martin's doing, he was going to be--- Wait! Martin! Martin's dorm was on this floor!

She rounded another corner quickly, causing her long brown hair to sweep over her eyes, blocking her view momentarily. It seemed like it took her forever to reach Martin's door, but when she did, she beat the poor piece of wood in an attempt to get in. The door was locked which wasn't unusual at night, but that didn't help her a bit.

"_Diana..._"

"No!" she screamed, pounding continuously on the door as the voice and footsteps neared her quickly. "MARTIN!"

"_Diana...Diana...Diana..._"

She closed her eyes, still beating the heck out of the door. The voice seemed to loom over her, the footsteps had stopped, having reached their target.

"MART---AHHHH!" She was suddenly cut short of calling his name as she felt herself falling, turning his name into a scream. She fell forwards, hitting something soft and hard at the same time, saving her from hitting the hard floor.

"Geez, Di!" Martin's sleep filled voice caused her eyes to open. The ghostly voice hadn't got her! She had fallen on Martin when he opened the door. She didn't think he was as happy about that as she was though. "What's your deal! Are you trying to wake the dead?"

"More like the dead was trying to wake me!" she sighed, not moving to get off of him. "Only it did wake me and I thought it was you playing another one of your stupid jokes, but it wasn't and then this voice kept calling my name so I ran--"

"Alright, alright, alright!" he exclaimed, cutting her off from her explanation. "I didn't understand a word you just said, Di. Wanna try that again? Maybe a little slower this time?"

She moved off of him, sitting on the floor on her knees, desperately trying to catch her breath and lower her heart rate. She couldn't tell if it was from the running or being scared out of her mind. She glanced over at him curiously as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit the floor.

"Martin? Have you been here all night?" Diana asked, taking note of the unmade bed and the fact that he was still dressed in his clothes that he wore earlier when she last saw him.

"Yep, not unless I was sleep walking and I don't think I sleep walk," he grinned, pulling her up with him when he stood. "Now, what's up, Di? Why all the screamin' and pounding on my door?"

"There's something out there," she replied, whispering, keeping an eye on the open door. "Someone-or rather something- was chasing me. I heard the voice, I heard the footsteps, but I never saw anything." Okay, so she sounded like a lunatic, but hey, she was talking to a lunatic.

While she was talking, Martin had stepped outside into the hallway to investigate. He didn't see or hear a thing. Maybe she was dreaming it. Like a nightmare. An intense nightmare.

"Hmm." Martin turned back to her, a small smile playing on his lips. "It could've been a ghost, back for revenge on the living and it's chosen you to torment." He raised his hands up, wiggling his fingers for effect.

He chuckled, walking back in the room and closing the door. She silently thanked him for that. The open door was freaking her out. At the same time, out of rage, she pushed him up against that door, index finger in his face, her face red with anger.

"This isn't funny, Martin!" she practically screamed in his smiling face. "Something was after me! It may not be there now but it was definitely there a few minutes ago!"

"Chill out, Diana," he laughed, slipping out of her reach before he got slapped...again. He still felt the pain where she smacked him this morning for telling her she sounded like a fruit cake. "It's probably just all in your head. I'm sure it's nothing to lose sleep over."

"It wasn't in my head," she sighed, sitting on his bed. She closed her eyes, rubbing her head. "I know what I heard, Martin, and it wasn't my imagination. I'm sure of it."

"Alright, if it'll make you feel better, we'll go check it out. See what's up," Martin said, opening the door for her to exit first.

"Na uh. No way, Martin," she said defiantly. "You're not getting me back in that hallway tonight. I'm staying right here until the sun comes up."

He looked at her in silence for a second.

"Is little Diana scared of big bad ghost?" he asked in his best baby voice, laughing. "Diana...Diana!" he cried out in a mock spooky voice. He laughed even harder, having to grab onto the back of a chair to keep himself from falling over. "Diana...help me. I'm a tormented ghost from beyond the grave!"

He saw stars. Little bright stars that floated in circles around his head over and over. Stars that were caused by Diana...again. He looked up at cause of his pain to find her growling, ready to do it again if necessary.

He growled, pulling himself up off the floor, rubbing his cheek in vain to ease the stinging. He had to learn to watch what he said around her. Nah, the pain seemed worth seeing that look of anger on her face.

"What? I was just having a little fun," he pouted. "I should be the mad one. You woke me up! You know, I have a test to take tomorrow."

"Martin, since when do you take tests?" Diana asked with a roll of her eyes. Yeah, right. Him take a test? He couldn't even bring himself to write his name on the page. No way would he sit still long enough to do that! "You've never even completed a test!"

"You don't know me as well as you think you do, Di." So what if he didn't take the test? He still had to be there.

"Ha! I know you well enough, Martin Mystery," she smiled, giving him a knowing look.

"You know what?" He quickly moved to stand in front of her, leaning down to talk directly in her face. "You're lucky you're my step sister or you'd be sleeping in the floor."

"And what makes you think I'm sleeping in this pigsty?" she asked, smiling calmly at his seriousness. She had to admit, he was cute when he got all up close and personal. _What am I saying! He's my stepbrother for crying out loud! _"Uh, I have a perfectly comfortable room of my own---"

"Yeah, that's haunted," he pointed out as he leaned against the door, crossing his arms. He smirked over at her, glancing at the doorknob. "I dare you."

"Um, maybe I'll survive one night with you," she chuckled nervously, backing further away from the door, waving her hands in front of her. "I mean, how bad can it be really?"

Martin grinned mischievously, locking the door, still leaning against it. She gave him a small laugh, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

"I get the bed?" she asked him. She didn't know why she felt so nervous about staying in his room. A majority of her time was spent with him anyway, but there was something about being in his room, his territory.

"Uh huh," he smirked, pushing himself off the door and taking a few steps towards her. "For a price..."

Diana gulped, her emerald eyes wide. What is he up to now, advancing on her with intense brown eyes on her, and a mysterious smile that played on his lips? What price would she have to pay just to sleep in his bed? Did she even want to know?

"Pay up, Di," he said softly, getting back in her face. He was so close that she could feel his hot breath on her lips, making her uncomfortable and fidgety. He noticed, but he wasn't about to back off so easily. "For something of mine, you have to give me something of yours..."

**My first fanfic, obviously not finished, but on it's way! I'm open to suggestion on how to make it better though, so don't be afraid to let me have!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: You know the deal. Not mine. They belong to Marathon. Sad, isn't it?

**Chapter 2**

Martin leaned against his locker, half awake, half asleep. Man, he was tired and the day wasn't even over with yet. He still had to check out Diana's room for any signs of a ghost taking up residence there.

"Martin look tired," Java said, appearing around the corner with his trusty mop. "Martin okay?"

"Martin is tired, Jav," Martin yawned, forcing himself to stand up without the support of the locker. "Diana had a little encounter with a ghost last night, choosing yours truly to wake up at two in the morning." Martin slowly opened his locker. Wait a minute. He smiled and closed it back. He didn't know where his books were. The last time he saw them was... Ah, forget it. Thinking was not a good idea right now..

"Diana okay?" Java asked, concern filled his tone for her.

Java adored Diana, Martin knew. Almost everyone adored Diana it seemed. Even his dad considered her to be his real kid and him the step kid. Martin could never see her as his real sister no matter how much he tried. He just couldn't bring himself to think like that and he didn't know why. She's just too hot to be his sister. Man, was he sleep deprived big time. What kind of person thought their stepsister was, _is_, hot?

"Martin?" Java waved a hand in front of him, bringing him back down to earth.

"Wha..? Sorry, Jav," Martin chuckled slightly, blushing a little at the random thoughts in his head. Better put those thoughts away where they couldn't be brought up again."I'm sure she's fine. She's probably in the library doing the same boring thing she does every afternoon. Reading her little books and chatting with her little book-y friends."

"Martin probably right," Java nodded in agreement, putting on a huge smile. "Martin always right!" He embraced his friend, picking him about a foot or two off the ground.

"I don't think I can breathe, Java," Martin laughed, beaming. He could always count on good ol' Java. So Java was a caveman and not that big of a conversationalist, but he had never let him down. "I really can't breathe." Martin squirmed to no avail. He swore his face was turning blue from lack of oxygen.

From over Java's shoulders, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Jenny, Diana's best friend. He watched her for a minute, chatting with an unfamiliar girl and laughing. Hmm, playtime.

"Hey! Jenny! Put me down, Java. Looks like a certain beautiful lady needs some special attention from _me_." Martin squirmed some more, trying to get loose.

Java let him go, turning around to see the reason why Martin was running a hand through his blonde hair and straightening out his long sleeve black shirt.

"Watch and learn, Java. You're about to see the master at work."

Java covered his eyes with both hands, watching as his pal immediately fell hard to the floor.

"Ouch," Java stated the obvious, unable to hold back a gigantic laughing roar escaping his mouth.

"Ooooh!" Martin growled as he raised his head up off the cold floor. Of course, he had to fall in a crowded hallway, in front of everyone.

He shot a death glare at Java who was still trying to control his laughter. Not that Java was to blame for him making a scene in the middle of the hallway. He wasn't watching where he was going and now out of all times, he had to trip over his own feet. Brillant, Martin. Just brillant.

He managed to get to his feet, dusting off his clothes with no help from his laughing caveman friend who was rolling on the ground, laughing at his expense. Yeah, thanks a lot, Java. Now where did Jenny go? Ah ha!

"Hiya, Jenny!" he said, panting as he caught up with her. Good thing she didn't see the entire incident. Talk about embarrassing. "Where you off to?"

"Anywhere, as long as you're not there," she replied, holding her head up high as she normally did when he spoke to her. "Get lost, Martin."

"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny," Martin tsked her, waving a finger in front of her. "When are you going to stop hiding your true feelings for me? Everyone knows you have the hots for me." She stopped walking to look at him with wide eyes. "Admit it. You're madly in love with me."

"Martin, the only feelings I have for you are the ones of wishing," she said, pushing on his shoulder. "Like wishing you would get lost!" She stalked off, swaying her hips as if to tell show him what he could never have.

Martin stopped, blinking at her, feeling himself melting into a puddle in the floor. Why did he even bother with her? She wouldn't even give him the time of the day. And she wasn't even that pretty. But what could he say? He liked the chase. Now, what was he going to do before Jenny showed up? Oh yeah. Diana. Right, he needed to look for Diana.

"Women," he sighed dramatically, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sheesh."

Diana stood in the middle of her dorm room, clutching the book "101 Ghosts" tightly to her chest. The sun broke through the window, illuminating the entire room in a bright white light, so why did the room feel so... creepy and ominous?

As if to answer her thoughts, the door to the her room slammed shut, sealing her away from the outside. An eerie silence fell over the room Her emerald eyes searched every corner, watching in horror as the brightness suddenly disappeared only to be replaced by darkness. Every couple of seconds, the darkness was illuminated by a bright flash of light. Could it be lightning? But that would be impossible. It was a nice sunny day outside!

"_Diana..."_

"No... Not again!" she exclaimed, covering her ears with her hands and closing her eyes tightly. This was not happening again! The voice, the footsteps, the darkness. "Go away!"

"_Diana..."_

It was no use. Even with her hands blocking her hearing, the voice still echoed around her. The sound of it saying her name sent shivers up and down her spine, forging into her mind.

"What do you want from me!" she screamed at the ghostly voice, on the verge of tears.

She had seen some scary stuff on the missions from the center, but this was much worse and much scarier. Maybe because she was alone on this one. Martin and Java weren't here this time.. It was just her.

"Come on, Diana," she said to herself, desperate to get a grip. Her hands formed into fists as she sucked in a deep gulp of air. "Get a hold on yourself. You can do this."

She opened her eyes and screamed. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something above her, something moving. There, walking on the ceiling above, defying gravity, was a woman in a long black dress. She walked in slow, almost mechanical motion. Long, wavy blonde hair cascaded down her back, even though she was upside down.

"Oh my--" Diana whispered, letting tears fall from her eyes. Those same eyes were mesmerized on the figure, unable to close them or even glance away.

Then it was gone. Just like that, she was gone. Diana remained where she was, still surrounded by darkness. She was afraid to move and fear wouldn't let her. It held her feet like super glue to the wooden floor. Her mind couldn't process her thoughts. Her heart felt like it was going to beat straight out of her chest. Her breathing was so rapid, she felt she would faint at any minute from taking in too much oxygen.

The woman's face appeared inches from her own face, still upside down. Diana's scream was held in her throat from fear. She could only stare in the black eyes of the woman as they pierced into her own. This woman was definitely dead. Her skin was rotting off of her cheeks and nose and she didn't even have a chin and lower lip. All that was there was her skeleton. Her old, rotting skeleton... The smell that surrounded her ghostly figure was unbearable. The smell you'd smell when something nearby died.

"MARTIN!" She didn't even hear herself scream his name, much less know where it came from. She had somehow forced his name out of her shivering lips.

The woman attempted to smile a hideous smile that made her look even more horrifying than she was.

"_Jack!_ _YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!_" The ghost shrieked out in anger. "_Seven days and I shall spend eternity with him like it was planned."_She took a step back, or rather floated back, and cackled. "_Like it was before you came along! You shall suffer as I have... forever, Diana. Forever_."

The door was kicked open and a sudden ray of light lit the room. The lightning ceased and the darkness faded. The ghost was gone. Her room was back to normal. Diana fell to her knees, feeling weak from fear, her whole body shaking. A hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped about a mile high, letting out a high pitched scream.

"No more... Please... No more," she sobbed, hugging her chest in a vain attempt to protect herself from what she feared was the woman.

"Diana."

She quickly looked at the source of the person who gently said her name. Martin, panic and concern written all over his face. Before he could even ask what was wrong, she was in his arms, clawing at his shoulders, crying into his chest. She had never been more happier to see him, more happier to be in his arms. He embraced her, pulling her closer to him, doing his best to offer her all the protection she would ever need.

"Diana!" Java ran into the room, panting, yet ready to pound anyone or anything to dust. He dropped his defensive mode, letting out a huge sigh of relief when he found her safe in Martin's arms. "Java hear Diana scream. Java come as fast as he could."

"She was here..." Diana whispered, as Martin and Java exchanged a curious look.

"Ah ha! Got it!" Martin jumped up out of his seat, knocking it over as he did. He gave it a long look as it lay helpless on the floor turning back to his legendex. "1989. Students at the famed Torrington Academy are kept up at night by the wailing of a young girl who jumped to her death from the roof of the building. School records confirm the legend of the ghost in the halls stating that the girl, 17 year old Natalie Hayes, did indeed commit suicide by jumping off the building," Martin read, pouting. This was news to him. "That's not in the student pamphlet."

He scrolled down, remaining silent for a moment as he searched. Java sat at one of the library tables, trying to build a house of the books, only to have it fall down and he'd have to start over.

"Listen to this. Natalie and her boyfriend, desperate to be together forever, formed a lover's pact, planning to jump together. Her boyfriend, Jack Mitchell, never made that appointment. Determined to do this with only Jack, she went to look for him, finding him with another girl. Whew, talk about heartbreak."

"She still wants to be with Jack," Diana said absently, staring out the window of the library. Martin and Java looked up at her. "She said in seven days she'll spend eternity with him like they planned and that there was nothing I could do to stop it." She exhaled deeply. "But what do I have to do with that?"

"Seven days?" Martin repeated, rubbing his chin in thought. He walked over beside her inquiringly. "There wouldn't happen to be a video tape involved, would there? You know, like in that movie where if you watch the tape, you die seven days later?"

"Gee, thanks for the cheering up, Martin!" she scoffed, walking away from him to sit next to Java. Sometimes Martin could be so childish and immature. Now being one of those times.

"What? What did I say?" he asked, innocence in his expression and tone as he held up his hands.

"Java scared for Diana." Java glanced over at her, placing a huge, gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Java," Diana smiled sweetly, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'll be fine."

"Don't worry, Jav," Martin said with a lazy smile. "With me there to protect her, not even a single piece of hair on her head will be missing."

"If you think I'm going back to that room, Martin Mystery, you can--"

"No, no, no, Diana. You're gonna stay with me. Last time I checked, my room was ghost free." He thought about that for a minute, then nodded. "No ghosts there."

"You don't sound so sure about that." Diana looked at him, eyebrow arched.

"Oh come on, Di. It'll be fun."

"The last time I had to pay you my entire stash of chocolate just to let me stay there!" She grabbed his shirt, pulling him to her. "What's the price this time, Martin? Clean your room? Do your homework?"

"Now that you mention it, that's not a bad deal," he joked.

Okay, bad joke. A joke that got him sent to floor, her foot on his chest, threatening to squish the life out of him.

"Relax, Di!" He laughed hysterically. Feisty little thing, isn't she? "There's no catch. Mi casa es su casa."

**This chapter didn't turn out like I wanted it to when I began. I wanted to imagine the ghost as a mix between the Fatal Frame series and Resident Evil. Scary like Fatal Frame and ugly like those zombie guys from Resident Evil. Diana's also vulnerable so far, weak. She's not going to be like that always. I just gotthe DVD of Martin Mystery and I'm working on watchingall the episodesto try to get a better understanding so hopefully, the next couple of chapters will be better. So hang in there, ppl! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Martin yawned with boredom as he scrolled through the legendex. Weird. He couldn't find any life history on their little ghost anywhere in the school files or in any of the twenty something books about hauntings and ghosts they had brought up from library. He had figured something would be in there about her. Every ghost sighting in the world was in at least one of the books.

"I think Java had the right idea," he muttered in frustration. "Going to bed seems like a pretty good idea to me."

"What? You can't go to bed yet!"

He turned in his seat to see Diana on the bed, blankets over her head. He hadn't seen her this terrified since last year, when he hid underneath her bed knowing her and Jenny had just finished watching "The Grudge". He had waited until she was settled in it, ready for a peaceful night of sweet dreams before he shook it. Man, the look on her face when she blasted out of the room! She bunked with Jenny for over a week after that. Of course when she found out it was him who did it, it kinda lost it's humor and he ended up being slapped past Pluto.

"Come on, D." He stood up and stretched, feeling every bone in his body pop. "I can't play ghostbusters on lack of sleep. Besides, she's already made her visit and she hasn't shown up yet, so it's doubtful that she will again. Now tomorrow might be a different story." He snickered quietly to himself.

"What if she does?" Diana squeaked from under the blankets. "What if you go to sleep and she appears on the ceiling again?"

"Ceilings? Yeah, right," he chuckled with a shake of his head. "You sound like you need more sleep than I do."

"It's not funny, Martin. She did walk on the ceiling."

"Yeah, sure she did." He jumped on the bed beside her, rolling on his side and snuggling with the pillow. "I'll be right here, Di. If she comes, I'll know."

"If she comes, you'll be out like a light, sucking your thumb like the baby you are." She let out a gasp when he pulled the blankets off of her. "I need those!"

"Go to sleep already," he slurred out sleepily. "You'll feel better in the morning and then we can search for our ghost friend."

"I don't think I want to find her again." But she was exhausted and maybe with Martin here, everything would be okay. Natalie did leave when he showed up. "Hey, Martin? How did you know to find me?"

"You called for me," he replied, almost asleep, letting his hand hang off the side of the bed. "And I do _not_ suck my thumb."

She smiled warmly at him. How sweet! So he did listen... sometimes. That made her feel a little better. No matter how much they argued and fought, he'd always be there for her. That's was actually a reassuring fact that she let play over her head as she slid under the blankets at his feet. Her second worry was that he'd kick her in the face sometime during the rest of the night.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she was almost instantly asleep without another thought.

2:00 A.M. The small light coming from the desk lamp flickered on and off before finally cutting off completely. Darkness enveloped the room once again. Lightning flashes briefly illuminated Martin, who was almost completely off the bed, and Diana, sleeping on her back, her head facing the wall.

"_Diana..._"

The ghostly version of Natalie appeared over the bed and directly above Diana. Natalie lowered herself down, floating slowly, arms outreached.

Martin moved, removing himself from the edge of the bed to a position on his back, his right arm falling on Diana's ankles. Natalie looked over at him, turning to float just inches from his face. She stared intensely at him almost as if trying to figure him out.

"_Jack?_" She got closer. "_Jack!_" Her skeleton hand caressed his face tenderly. "_Jack. It's almost time, my love. Soon, we'll be together forever."_

"Diana, keep it down! I'm trying to sleep here!" His eyes were still closed, using his feet to nudge her shoulder.

"Stop it, Martin!" She kicked him back. "I'm not doing anything!"

Natalie growled, glancing between the two before getting back to Diana. Diana's eyes opened wide. That smell. That was the same smell in her room earlier when--

"Uh oh..." Diana whimpered, turning her head slowly to look Natalie in the face. "Uh, Martin?"

Natalie looked back at him, pressing a hand on Diana's neck. She cackled, lowering herself into Diana's body, disappearing completely. Diana's eyes closed and she went limp. The desk lamp came back on and the darkness ended.

Suddenly, she sat straight up, gasping for air. When she finally got all the air she needed, she sighed, pushing a hand through her hair with a smile on her face.

"You okay, Di?" Martin asked, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked at he sleepily. "You look a little pale."

Her smiled widened and she quickly crawled up to him, placing her arms around his neck tightly. This was odd. Diana wasn't one to show him much affection yet she was hugging him and actually smiling at the same time? Definitely odd.

"Uh, are you feeling alright? You're kinda scaring me."

She backed away slowly, never taking her eyes off his face. Her hand came up to rest on his cheek, gazing at him adoringly. It was official. She was totally freaking him out right now.

"You're really starting to freak me out, Di," Martin chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness. He looked back at her in confusion. "I really think you need to—"

Before he could even react to what was going on, she pressed her lips to his. If his eyes could pop out, they would've. No way. He had to be dreaming this. But her hand on his chest, pushing him down on the bed told him that this was no dream. His step sister had completely lost her sanity and any minute now she was going to regain it and crush him into oblivion for kissing her back. Nah, he'd just remind her that she was the one on top of him.

He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the heat from her mouth as her tongue invaded his own mouth. Her soft, yet slightly cold, hand slid underneath his shirt, pulling it up as she explored every inch of his chest and stomach, torturing him with her fingertips.

"Diana...wait," he said breathlessly, in-between her kisses. He was telling her to wait? Ha! He was the one pulling her closer! Still, it was obvious she wasn't thinking clearly. He had to be the logical one. "Diana, come on, stop."

He wasn't so sure he wanted her to stop though. If felt incredibly right, even though they are step siblings. There was no blood connecting them together, they had different parents... Parents. Oh would his dad freak out if he ever found out. He'd never hear the end of it. And Diana's mom. Her baby girl doing something like this? Never. This would all be his fault, he knew it. Everyone knows that Diana's a play by the book girl and well, he's never even read the book.

His shirt somehow ended up coming off, he just couldn't remember how. He did know that he had some involvement in it coming off. He didn't care. And he didn't care about what people would think. He couldn't even think. Her warm hands caressing his bare chest, her soft lips devouring his own. Was it getting hot in here or what? His hands slid up under her night shirt, taking in the soft, smooth skin. His. This was all his for the time being.

He rolled her over onto her back, pressing soft, passionate kisses along her neck. Her hands moved to the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair and along his neck to his back and up again. She was torturing him. He could feel it. She was going to show him what he can't have because he was her step brother then take it away. He was still waiting for the moment when she's going to smack him for having his hands over her breasts, massaging them gently, his lips biting and sucking at her neck. Her right leg wrapped around his waist, pulling him so close to her that not even a piece of paper could get through them. Her body was responding to his like his was responding to hers and nobody was around to stop it.

"Jack..."

He stopped everything he was doing, raising up to look at her. Jack? Did she just call him Jack? No, she couldn't have. She knew who he was. She said his name a second before this all started. He didn't answer her, but he heard her.

"But I'm Martin," he said to her, a mixture of confusion and hurt in his gorgeous brown eyes.

Her eyes opened slightly and she smiled. "I know, Jack. I know."

"Jack?" he repeated, rolling off of her and onto his back beside her. Jack, Jack, Jack. Oooh! He growled to himself trying to place the name. He heard that name before. Jack... Natalie! Natalie's boyfriend's name was-- Oh... ewww! He was making out with a ghost!

"Hold me," she whispered, turning to lay on her side, her arm wrapped around his waist, her head on his shoulder. Her night shirt had come up to sit just above her stomach, her bare legs wrapping around his pants covered ones.

"Natalie," he called out to her, seeing her eyes respond by looking up at him. Great. How was he gonna explain this to Diana? Yeah, hey Di, I met your ghost. Huh? Oh I ended up making out with her. Why you ask? Well, I thought she was you. BAM! Right into oblivion. Bye bye, Martin Mystery.

"Oh, Jack!" Diana, or rather Natalie in Diana's body, raised up with a wide grin. "You remember me! You haven't forgotten me!"

"Uh, actually, I'm not Jack," he smiled cautiously, pulling himself out of her reach.

"Don't be silly, Jack," she laughed, reaching for him. "I think I know my Jack when I see him. Being dead doesn't make me stupid."

"No, no, no. See, I'm Martin." He flashed his center badge, giving her time to read it before putting it back in his pocket. His baby. So what if he slept with it? "Okay? Now, about Diana."

"That's it, isn't it?" she said sadly, lowering her eyes. "That's why you didn't show up that day. It's because of her, isn't it?"

"I don't think you get it, lady."

"I get alright." She raised up, her emerald eyes now black as coal. Martin jumped back against the wall. "That won't stop me though. You belong to me! In seven days, you will be mine once again and you're _precious_ Diana will be no more!"

"If you hurt her, I'll...I'll...I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be nice!" he growled. What could he possibly do to a ghost anyway?

"Seven days, Jack!" she shrieked, her form leaving Diana's body.

Diana fell backwards off the bed and Martin made a dive for it, catching her before she could hit the floor.

"Whew!" he sighed. "That was a close one."

"_Seven days, Jack. Seven days..."_

"Seven days, Jack," he mocked her, making a face.

He looked up, seeing Natalie's ghostly corpse staring back at him from the ceiling. Good job, Martin. Mock the ghost. Make it even madder. Then, ust as soon as he saw her, she vanished. His wide eyes stared straight up in awe.

"She really does walk on the ceiling," he stated, shocked, picking Diana up without much effort. "Awesome! Now if only I could capture that on film for my movie.."

Watching the ceiling, he laid Diana on the bed, covering her up with the blankets. For a long moment, he simply looked at her, pushing strands of brown hair out of her sleeping face. He sighed, getting up and sitting down at the desk. After what just happened, there was no way he was going back to sleep.

Java whistled as he happily swept the first floor halls of the school, every now and then dancing to the tune he was whistling. He couldn't help it. He loved his job, mostly because it kept him close to his two best friends. He liked it that way.

He stopped, hearing the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. Nervously, he glanced around, holding his broomstick in a defensive position. The footsteps continued, getting closer.

"Hello?" he called out, his tone a bit shaky. "Anyone there?"

No answer and the footsteps were still coming. A shadow rounded the corner and Java instinctively swung the broom, causing the shadow to duck.

"Whoa, Java!" Martin grimaced, barely missing the stick that was about to clash with his head. "Working on your Kung Fu skills?"

"Sorry, Martin. Building spooky."

"I know what you mean," Martin shuddered. "Even in the daylight it feels like the Amityville house."

"Amityville house?" Java inquired, placing the broom back on the floor, scratching his head in confusion.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, Jav."

"Diana?"

"With Jenny, probably catching up on her girlie gossip," he said with a roll of his eyes, patting Java on the back. "Keep an eye on her for me for a bit, huh? Just don't let her know. She'll go all spastic about not needing protecting."

"Where Martin going to be?" Java asked as Martin walked off.

"First, Martin's gonna take a nap," he said, his voice fading the further away he got. "Then, Martin's going to see what he can dig up on Jack Mitchell." He walked up the stairs, getting halfway up before turning back around. "And Martin's definitely not sleeping up there. I may be crazy, but I'm not that stupid."

**Okay, guys, let me know what you think of the story so far. Pretty please:D**


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all of your reviews! Keep 'em comin'!

**Chapter 4**

Diana walked through the halls of the school with a purpose, pushing through what few students were already up and at it at 7:00 on a beautiful Saturday morning. She didn't care about what time it was or what day it was. She had one thing on her mind. Find Martin Mystery and kill him.

And not just kill him for any reason. Oh no. She had a good reason.

She reached his room, turning the knob and finding that to her surprise, it was unlocked. She let herself in, making her way through the jungle of clothes and papers littering the floor. How could he live like this? She felt like she was in a garbage dump.

Through all the mess, she found her target, sleeping like a baby in his bed. Martin Mystery may be a self centered, idiotic jerk, but he was a hot self centered, idiotic jerk, she thought with a smile.

"None of that now," she said to herself, frowning. "Remember what you came here for."

Him being shirtless wasn't helping her out much.

"Ugh! He's your stepbrother, Diana! Get a grip!" With a shake of her head to ward those forbidden thoughts out of her mind, she stepped over a pile of clothes to get to him."Martin!" She shook his bare shoulder over and over, only getting a slight snore from him. "Martin Mystery! Get up!" She pulled on his upper arm with all her might, sending him and his blanket to the floor. At least he had pants on. Whew, that was a good thing.

"Don't worry MOM, I'll save you!" Martin said quickly before realizing where he was. "Ow!" He immediately shook the hand that he landed on in pain.

Must have fell, he thought with a shrug. Out of nowhere, something soft smacked him hard in the back of the head. Looking up, he found Diana, pillow in one hand, the other on her hips.

"Mornin', Di." he said acknowledged her with a goofy grin. He glanced over at the clock and his eyes widened. " Na uh. I don't think so."

He got up, grabbing the comforter with him and threw himself back on the bed, closing his eyes. The pillow landed in his face, causing him to growl with aggravation.

"Ow, Di! Knock it off! It's Saturday! I have never gotten up this early on a Saturday and I don't intend to start now!" he pouted, sitting up to try pull his pillow from her grasp.

"Hmm," she smiled mischievously. He may be stronger her, but that might work to her advantage this time.

She let go of the pillow, sending him against the headboard, banging his head. The pillow flew onto the night stand, knocking off a lamp and some other junk he had piled up on it. Diana: 1, Martin: 0.

If you could die from a look, she would be dead by now. His brown eyes shot icicles at her as he rubbed the back of his head, lips pouting like a three year old.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly. Honestly he wanted to know what he did to deserve this. He hadn't even had the chance to do anything yet! She was just annoying this early in the morning

"You sent Java to spy on me!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger threateningly in his face. He swore he could see her engulfed in flames of rage. Rage towards him.

"Not spy on you, Diana," he said in his best innocent tone. "He was more of, uh, watching out for you. You know, with Natalie rampaging around here, you can never be too careful."

"Like I can't watch out for myself! I need a caveman to do that!"

"I didn't say that," he quickly spat out, waving his hands and shaking his head. "You're strong, Di." Think, Martin, think! "I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you. I could never live with myself if..." He trailed off, looking downwards.

"Aww!" She hugged him. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard coming from you!"

He grinned over her shoulder. Works like a charm every time.

She let go of him, smacking him directly on the cheek.

"Grrrr! What? What'd I say?" He rubbed his cheek to soothe the stinging.

"Don't you ever send anyone to spy on me again," she replied sweetly, clasping her hands behind her back. "Now get dressed!"

"Why? Where are we going?" he asked.

She walked out the door without another word, leaving him staring after her.

"But it's Saturday! And it's not even noon yet!" he called out after her, but nevertheless, getting out of bed. If he didn't, her hand print on his face would be the least of his worries.

He entered the library, knowing instinctively that this was the only place where Diana could be. He walked past the rows of books, hands in his pockets as he looked for her.

"Well, this place is just bustling with activity," he said sarcastically. "Then again, who in their right mind would be in a library on a Saturday morning? Oh, yeah. Diana would."

"What was that, Martin?"

He jumped, turning to see a serious Diana waiting patiently for his reply, Java standing behind her with a smile.

"It was nothing," he lied. No sense in her knowing everything he said. That had really bad consequences. He wasn't up for that right now. "I was just...talking to myself."

"Something you do a lot, huh?" she inquired, walking past him and his sour look. Java snickered as he followed. "Java said you went to find something out about Jack."

"I did, but he's not one to return your phone calls."

"Did you mention Natalie?" Diana asked flatly.

"Of course I did. Otherwise he wouldn't call back," Martin said, crossing his arms. "Is there a problem with that Diana?" he asked as she looked like she was about ready to explode.

"Duh, Martin!" she practically screamed, causing him to hide behind the closest bookshelf. "Did you actually think he was going to call back to talk about his dead ex girlfriend!"

"He might've," Martin chuckled weakly. Java put a finger to his lips, silently telling Martin that he said anymore, he was gonna end up black and blue.

"Whatever," she sighed, glaring at him. "I've been thinking."

"That's a scary thought." He rolled his eyes and emerged out from behind the safety of the books. He didn't dare say that out loud though.

"We'll have to lure Natalie out."

"Oh, bright idea, Di!" He said dramatically. "Tell me what happens after we do that. Oh, wait. I know. We all sit and discuss this politely. She'll agree to stop and we'll all be friends." He was being cute, blinking his eyes repeatedly.

Oh, yeah lover boy? You got something better?"

"Get over yourself, Di," he laughed uncomfortably. So, she knew everything that happened that night. How, he didn't know, but the inevitable truth was that she did. Talk about embarrassing. "And I _do_ have something better. We let her catch you."

"After she gets me, she's coming after you," she growled, stepping up to him.

He met the challenge, glaring right back at her. Java laughed as he watched the two, face to face, ready to hurt each other. He'd seen this thousands of times before and it never lost it's humor.

"When Diana coming back?" Java asked, interrupting the two.

"Uh," she said weakly, glancing at Martin as he withdrew. "Soon." Maybe she should've told Java to keep quiet.

"Coming back? Where are you going?" Martin asked, a little surprised at the sudden news that she was going somewhere. Where could she possibly go with this thing on the loose? He knew seeing Natalie all the time and having those nightmares were tugging on her sanity, but her leaving because of it?

"Just...home...for a few days," she said softly, finding the floor extremely interesting. "It's less stressful there." She pointed out.

"Home? We don't even have a few days." He checked his watch. "We have two days left. That's the end of the seven days Natalie keeps talking about."

"Look, you just find out everything you can here." She placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling up at him. "If anyone can do it, you can. I need some time alone to rest."

Yeah, but home? Who was gonna be there if something happens? Surely not his dad and no offense, but her mom wasn't exactly G.I. Jane or anything remotely close to that. But then again, maybe Natalie wouldn't follow her there.

"I won't let you down, Di," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "Just be careful. I want you back in one piece."

"Oh, Martin," she smiled. "I'll be fine. I'll call you if I need you."

"Don't forget Java," the caveman spoke up, running over to hug both of them. "Java help too."

"Thanks, Java," Diana breathed out, feeling her lungs turn to mush.

"Java, I think your squeezing the life out of me," Martin gasped, trying to push away from him.

"Oops. Sorry." He blushed.

"Not a problem," he smiled up at him.

"Well, call me if you find out anything." She walked backwards towards the exit. Why did she feel sad about leaving? She would be back. She hoped anyway. "I mean it, Martin."

"I promise," he agreed, forcing a slight smile as he and Java watched her go. "Don't worry, Di. If there's a way, I'll find it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The ringing of the phone echoed though out the house. Mr. Mystery raced down the stairs, muttering about people calling so late at night, and walked across the spacious living room to retrieve it.

"Hello?" he said grumpily into the receiver of the cordless phone. Silence. "Hello?"

"Hi, dad," Martin replied, not expecting to hear the voice of his father this late. "Did I wake you?"

"Martin?" he seemed pretty shocked to hear him, too. Martin wasn't one to call home for any reason, making this a little unusual. "No, no, I was already up writing a speech to give at Harvard in a couple of days." More silence. "Uh, so, what is it Martin? Are you okay?"

"Just fine, dad," he sighed, propping his elbow on his knee and his hand on his chin. "Can't I just call to say hi?"

"Yes, yes you can," Mr. Mystery smiled faintly, it fading quickly. "But you never do. Which means either that you're in trouble or you need money for some item that you don't even need. Now which is it, Martin?"

"Dad, I--"

"If it's money, I'll have some wired over to the school and you can pick it--"

"Dad, that-that's not what this is about." He rolled his eyes and flopped backwards onto his bed. Java sat in the corner of the room browsing through a Paranormal Monthly magazine with interest. "Where's Diana?"

"She's not here," he said with a frown, looking around the room. "In fact, I haven't seen her since this morning."

"Well, where'd she go?"

"I'm not sure," he replied slowly as if thinking about it. "But she did take off in quite a hurry, though she didn't say where. I'm sure she's at the library, Martin, and she's just running a little late is all."

"Two hours late?"

"Well, yes, now that you mention it." Mr. Mystery looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 11:00. "She's fine, I'm sure. I'll let her know you called for her when she gets here. In the meantime, son, it's late. Go to bed. As they say, 'early to be, early to rise makes man healthy, wealthy and wise."

"Whatever you say, dad."

"Oh and Martin--" He looked at the phone, the line cut off. With a shake of his head, he put the phone back on the stand and headed back up the stairs.

Martin sighed, tossing the phone at the end of his bed, mocking his father's choice of saying.

"I asked for that one," he said sourly. He stood up off the bed and grabbed the set of car keys off the floor. He'd been looking for them for weeks, finally finding them underneath a magazine that got knocked off his night stand when the pillow flew onto it. "You stay here, Jav, and watch for Natalie. I gotta go find Diana."

"Stay...here?" Java asked, looking around the room in fear.

"Don't worry, Jav. She's not after you, so she won't hurt ya." He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. "I think."

Diana walked through the door of the house, shutting the door quietly as not to wake up her mom and stepdad. She tiptoed into the living room, cutting on the television displaying a newscast as she took off her jacket. She hadn't intended on staying out this late, but time slipped away.

She crept into the kitchen, retrieving the pitcher of ice water in the refrigerator. She wanted something cold, but she didn't feel like soda and water was the only other thing to drink.

"Diana Lombard! Shouldn't you be in bed?"

She screamed, throwing the contents of the water in the pitcher in the face of the person behind her.

Martin stood frozen, water dripping from his hair and face.

"You deserve that, you know," Diana stated, trying her best not to laugh. "Sneaking up on people. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Uh, duh," he replied through clenched teeth. "I live here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know." She rolled her eyes and without her drink, strolled tiredly back into the living room. "And this was your house long before it became mine, too. I know."

"I didn't say anything." He shook his head in an effort to get most of the water out of his hair. Great, now his hair was all flat and wet. He'd have to fix that later.

With a long, deep sigh, Diana let herself fall back onto the sofa, kicking off her shoes with a pained look. Tired, yes, but she wasn't about to go to sleep. Bad things happen when she fell asleep. She scoffed. Like bad things didn't happen when she was awake. Nightmares of a girl falling off a roof and day visions of Natalie. She felt she was hanging on by a thread. At least here she felt safe.

"No, seriously, Martin. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he answered, leaning against the door frame of the kitchen. "Dad said he hadn't seen you since this morning, so I thought I'd stop by to see where you'd run off to."

"I'm wasn't running, Martin, I was researching." She propped her feet up on the table and sunk down in the blue sofa. She glanced at him in time to see that 'crazy, not stupid' look. Sometimes she despised him. He may not have know what, but he tended to always know when she was hiding something. It was scary. "Does dad know your here?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Not exactly," he replied, grimacing up at the stairs. "And I'm pretty sure me showing up after midnight won't do much to raise his spirits I sure won't get a 'Hey, son! How's school!'"

She smiled over at him. The relationship between him and his dad was rocky at times. Not that they didn't get along cause they did... sometimes. They just didn't see eye to eye. He wanted Martin to live by certain standards, to be like him, to play by the rules, to grow up, only Martin was far from being like his father. Martin was...well, Martin. That created problems.

"So, anything on Natalie?" she asked. She'd rather talk about ghosts than family problems. They always came back to her being little miss perfect.

"Nata--oh." Right. His reason for trying to get in touch with her. Duh. "It's simple really." Hyper mode. He couldn't help it. This was exciting stuff! "Like any ghost who torments people, she wants revenge. In this case, she wants to get back at the girl who stole her boyfriend. She thinks that's you."

"Me!" she exclaimed, quickly covering her mouth and looking over at the landing. She sat silent for a moment, listening for signs of someone getting up. Martin nodded with a beaming grin. "I didn't steal her boyfriend! He's probably... old." A look of disgust painted her face.

"Yeah, but you look like her." He pulled a picture from his pants pocket and handed it to her. "You two even have the same first name. Freaky, huh? Kinda like your doppelganger, just add couple of years. Or a lot."

Diana looked at the photo, an old school picture, with awe. They did look similar, almost like twins.

"That explains her calling your name," he said with a proud grin. He loved being the one to come up with the answers first. She may be the brain at school, but when it came to anything paranormal, he was all over it.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"I don't think she wants to harm you, though, unless you think driving you loco counts. She wants what she lost long ago, even if it means possessing the competition." He grinned at her playfully. "You."

"Possession? Haven't I been through enough of those?" she asked weakly with a small smile. She handed the photo back to him and exhaled deeply. "Can we stop her?" Please say we can, she begged in her thoughts. Please, oh please, let her be stoppable.

"I hope so," he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. Thank you Diana. Now it's messy and it keeps falling in my eyes, he sighed. Forget it. It's beyond fixable right now, being without a mirror and all. "I don't think I'd like a ghost as a step sister." He gave her a small smile, sitting down beside her. "So..."

"So what if we can find Jack? Bring him to her? Let her torment him in his beach house in Miami?"

"Not likely. He's not returning my calls, remember?"

"Oh, right." That was all his fault. He had to mention Natalie. "If we can't get to Jack, how else are we going to stop her?" She leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his with a shuddering though of Natalie becoming her forever. "One more day, Martin. I wonder what happens on the seventh day?"

"I don't plan to find out," he said softly. "We'll get through this. We always do."

"There's a first time for everything," she managed to say before she yawned. "Maybe you should go. I'm getting sleepy." She looked up at him. "You remember what happened last time I fell asleep, don't you?"

Huh, how could he forget? "Yeah," he nodded with a slight chuckle. He met her smiling gaze with a smirk. "Dad's probably sleeping."

"So is mom." She looked up at him in confusion. What was his point?

"Oh, so she's here?" he asked, surprised. Diana nodded. "That's weird."

He hardly ever saw her and sadly, neither did Diana. She was always on a business trip somewhere in the world. Like his dad with him, she hardly had time to talk to her only daughter. That led him to believe that all of Diana's compulsiveness for being the best was to get her mother's attention. Which, by the way, hardly ever worked. He just wasn't going to tell her that.

"Diana."

His voice softly called her name, beckoning her to look at him. She did just that. His brown eyes gazed back at her, pieces of wet blonde hair falling around them, full of energy and at the same time concern, a smirk played on his lips.

"Huh?"

His response was a kiss, sweet yet passionate. She felt herself melt at the mere touch of his lips on hers. Still, she pushed him back, glancing behind her.

"This is the wrong place, Martin!" she whispered harshly at him, a grin plastered to his face that was so close to her she could feel his breath on her lips. "In case you've forgotten, certain people are upstairs! What if they wake up!"

Wrong place? Yeah, buddy it was. He thought that would be the last of her worries though. Actually, he was just getting prepared to be hit or slammed into the floor or kicked to the end of space. But since she didn't, why stop?

"I'm not doing anything," he joked, pressing his lips firmly on against hers. This time she kissed back. He smiled against her lips. She wasn't protesting now was she?

Her hand moved to the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair, using her other hand to pull up the black shirt he was wearing. Helping her out, he pulled the shirt off, throwing it somewhere behind him. Nope. This definitely wasn't a protest. It almost seemed that she wanted this more than he did. He'd use this against her later, possibly the next time she decides to paint her hand print painfully on him.

He pushed her back onto the sofa, moving his lips to her neck, gently biting and sucking every inch, inhaling the sweet scent of some kind of perfume. Jasmine. She had a spray bottle of that stuff in her bag. Not that he rummaged through it or anything. That would be wrong, but only if she ever found out, right?

The silk touch of her hand made brought his thoughts back to now as she slowly ran her fingertips down his bare, bronzed back and back up again, leaving a trail of fire wherever she touched. It was torture. An enjoyable torture that brought him back to her lips. That wasn't enough. He wanted to breathe her, erase her fears and love her more than anyone ever had or ever could. He could give her more than she ever imagined. Not guys like _Marvin._ And he was going to prove that.

He slid his tongue into her mouth, causing her to gasp slightly, her fingers clutching his still wet hair. His tongue was wet and scalding hot, tasting faintly of chocolate. So, he was still devouring her candy stash, huh? He stroked her tongue gently, instantly stopping her breath. Her head was spinning from his kiss, from the heat of his hand that was caressing her side.

"Martin..." she whispered breathlessly against his lips.

That's better. If she'd said Jack, he was going to hurt her. He grinned in-between kisses, snaking his hand underneath her shirt touch her warm, smooth skin. He could have sworn that she was trembling beneath him. Her hands felt shaky as they ran over his muscular arms, trying to pull him even closer to her.

"This is as close as I can get, Di," he whispered breathlessly against her cheek with a soft laugh. Already a piece of paper couldn't even get between them and she was still pulling at him.

She moved her head to find his lips again, her arms wrapping around his neck. His heart was pounding and he feared he'd never get his breathing under control. He was lost in her smell, her touch, her kiss...

"MARTIN MYSTERY!"

Hey, he knew that tone. That you are in so much trouble, young man, and your punishment will be severe. Wait a minute.

"Dad?" He looked up to see his dad at the bottom of the staircase, obviously not very happy that his son and step daughter were getting along so well without fighting.

"Honey, what's wrong? Martin's not even here--Oh," Mrs. Lombard looked in shock, clutching the railing to steady herself. "Diana?"

"Tell me things could not get any worse this week," Martin sighed, sitting up, pulling Diana's shirt down as he did.

"Diana, honey, are you okay?" her mother asked.

"Martin, I can't believe you," his dad said, outraged. Martin had heard all this before. "In my own house for crying out loud!" Just not about the subject at hand.

His dad always started out the same way without fail every time. 'Martin, I can't believe you!' Or 'Martin, what have you done this time!' Martin leaned his head back against the sofa. Yeah? Well, sometimes he couldn't believe himself either, but you don't see him having a heart attack over it.

"Dad, I can explain," Diana intervened, standing up and walking over to him. He was sleeping. They both were. She was sure that they were. Why choose now to wake up of all times?

"You don't have to explain anything, dear," he replied, glaring at Martin. "Does she Martin?"

"I think what you saw was pretty much self explanatory," he responded with a smile. "Don't you think, dad? Or do you want me to go into detail?"

"Young man, that smart mouth is the last thing I wanna deal with right now!."

"Right," he said forcibly, grabbing his shirt up off the floor and putting it on. "At least we were getting along for once." Okay, maybe that wasn't the best thing to say in this situation. "Not exactly what you were expecting though, huh?"

"Martin, I really don't expect anything out of you anymore," his dad said matter of factly. Martin got up and walked over to the door. Exit quickly and no one got hurt, hopefully. "This was the last straw from you. You've been a running problem for this family and now to have you... She's your sister! The shame, Martin!"

"Step!" Martin turned back to him, correcting him. "Step sister. We're not related, not really. It's not like we're bound by blood or anything."

"By law, she's your sister!"

"Na uh," he shook his head. "By marriage. I didn't tell you to go out and get married. Why should that come back on me?"

"Martin, I know what you're thinking and I'm not trying to take your mother's place," Mrs. Lombard said calmly. "But to push such a thing on my daughter. It's absurd."

"Mom, Martin didn't push anything on me," Diana sighed. "Dad, this isn't Martin's fault. He couldn't take without me giving, right?" Her mother's eyes glared at her, and Diana gave a nervous chuckle. Oops. Wrong thing said at the wrong time.

If it could've, Martin's mouth would have dropped to the floor. Did she just say what he thought she said? Whew, what got into her?

"Diana Lombard!" her mother scolded.

"Now, Diana, sticking up for Martin will only get you in trouble," his father said, putting an arm around her. "You know better than that."

"That's it," Martin said in disgust, opening the door. "I'm outta here." He'd heard those words before and it was no biggie. But from his own father... Martin slammed the door behind him.

"Maybe I was too hard on him," Mr. Mystery sighed, sitting down on the steps. "Or maybe I'm not hard enough." He looked up at Diana, taking her hand. "He may not be your actual brother, sweetheart, but..." He trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Diana, get upstairs. I want to speak with you," her mother said, holding her head as if she had a headache. Apparently, she had a lot to say, but Diana didn't have time for that right now.

"I'm sorry, mom, but I have to find Martin. Can we do this later?"

Before even giving her mom a chance to reply, she was out the door, leaving her parents staring after her in shock. Boy was she gonna be in trouble with them later. What could they possibly do though? Maybe she could have MOM back at the Center erase their memory or something. No, that wouldn't be a good idea. Then she'd know, but then again, she probably already knew. She knew everything else that happened in their lives. Why not this? Her life was starting to sound like a soap opera on daytime television.

She ran up to the SUV right as the ignition turned. She opened the door and jumped in, closing it back behind her, waiting for the vehicle to move. Why wasn't it moving now? The engine was running, but why wasn't this damn thing moving!

"Uh, Martin? You can drive now," she said nervously, watching the door to the house, knowing that at any second, their parents were going to appear.

Martin said nothing, staring at her blankly.

"Martin. Drive."

"Diana, what are you doing?" he asked with a sigh.

"In case you've forgotten, Martin, we have a final showdown with a crazed ghost tomorrow." If he wasn't so damned cute right now, she'd smack him for being an idiot. One look at those pouty lips and into those amazing brown eyes stopped her from doing just that. Otherwise he'd be smacked over to Japan with a concussion. "I don't know about you but I am so not ready to be outsmarted by a transparent dead girl. Do you know what effect that would have on my grades? I mean, I'm one of the top students at Torrington. I don't even know if she was smart when she was alive."

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, listening to her endless chatter. How could someone so boring captivate him, get under his skin and leave him wanting more? How could someone like Diana, who was the complete opposite of what he was, have the power to make him do anything for her at the snap of a finger? It was a scary thought. Would all be worth it?

"What if she does possess me and my grades slip? How am I supposed to get into an Ivy League college then!"

She continued her griping, almost too fast for him to understand. An involuntary smile slowly spread on his lips. She was definitely worth every second.

"And what about you, Martin? Who's gonna make sure you don't get kicked out of school? And don't you dare say you won't because you've already been threatened numerous time since last year. And what about someone being there to make sure you finish things? You've already shown me that you're incapable of doing that--"

"What do I not finish?" he asked quickly, interrupting her long list of complaints.

"You're homework for one."

"I do so!" He thought for a minute as she arched her eyebrow at him. "I did once."

"Oh yeah? When? Kindergarten?" He snarled at her with a sarcastic laugh. "It's not just your homework, Martin. There's other things also."

"Do I even wanna know?"

She leaned over and kissed him. Short and sweet and to the point, but enough to leave him speechless and he wasn't even the one who was jabbering on and on like the energizer bunny.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered in his ear, caressing his cheek.

And go where exactly? Her room was haunted, his room was partially haunted, actually, the whole school was, and a hotel was just too cliché. Oh, wait. That's not what she referring to. Okay, so first, they'd take care of Natalie and then they could be alone. Duh, Martin. He was starting to wonder he if shouldn't just slap himself for thinking forbidden thoughts about his step sister.

"Why aren't we moving?" she asked, looking at him intently.

He inhaled deeply, forcing the air out between his lips as he exhaled, shifting the car into gear. This was going to be a long night...

**I don't know anything about Diana's mother whatsoever, but I thought she might be something like that. It's just a guess. If anyone does know anything about her mother, let me in on it! Please! **

**Oh, and here's a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys rock! Keep it comin'! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

Diana stepped out of the SUV, eyes wide as she took in the ominous feeling that seemed to cling to the school. It looked like something from a horror film, where stupid teenagers go and never come back. Yeah, but she wasn't some stupid teenager. Yet.

Martin leaned against the front his car, following her uneasy gaze up at the academy. How cool was this? Not just any old school was plagued by an obsessed entity who was determined to possess a student. It was his school.

"And I thought this place was scary in the daytime." He stared in awe at the dark forming clouds looming over the building, a sure sign that a storm was about to appear. Classic. Can't have a haunted school without storms.

"The only thing scary in there, Martin, is your GPA." She smiled over her shoulder at him, receiving a mocking smile back at her.

"Oh, you're hurting my feelings," he replied sarcastically, walking over to stand beside her. "Well, then, since this place isn't registering on your creepy list, care to go first?"

"Uh...sure," she managed weakly. Although determined to prove she was capable, she really hated that entire 'ladies first' thing right now. "Maybe we should have called a spiritualist. Someone who knows how to deal with this kind of thing first hand."

"Yeah, right. A spiritualist." He snickered, walking up the steps behind her. She had to be kidding. And he thought she was the logical one. "That's a great idea, Di."

"Really?" She stopped, turning to him with a hopeful look in her eyes. If they could, then there was really no reason to actually go inside yet. She'd feel much better with someone who dealt with these kinds of things on a daily basis. Sure, they'd dealt with ghost before, but a spiritualist maybe could ease Natalie into leaving. Martin would only upset her more.

"Yeah and we'll all hold hands around a table covered in candles and listen to some old lady chant nonsense for a hundred bucks an hour. Why do that when I'm free?"

"Ha, free to spend the rest of your life being chased by someone who thinks you're Jack."

"She thinks I'm Jack?"

She grabbed him by the collars of his shirt, shaking him as hard as she could. When she finally stopped, he felt as if he'd just stepped off the Kingdom Ka rollercoaster, feeling the nauseous effect of the ride, but at the same, not regretting a bit of it.

"You don't listen very well, do you?" She could have smacked her own self in the head for that question. "Forget I even asked that. Your hearing is extremely selective." She raised her hand to her head, closing her eyes in frustration.

"Oh, I listen," he smiled, walking up the final steps and over to the door, bending down to remove the rock he used to hold it open. He held it up proudly. "A little trick I learned when I sneak out..." She arched an eyebrow, tapping her foot on the hard concrete steps. "Uh, for no particular reason than to just be... out. Yeah," he said slowly, coming up with no other explanation to satisfy her curiosity. He had to say that...

Suddenly, rain began to fall hard, sending Diana racing toward the shelter of the awning that offered minimal protection. At least it saved him from having to explain his sneaking out for now. She seemed more concerned about getting inside than his whereabouts when he left school grounds. He held the door open, exhaling a breath of relief as she ran inside. He tossed the rock aside and followed, softly closing the door back as not to alert anyone of their late night presence.

"Spooky..." he whispered in his best eerie voice. She smacked the back of his head, causing him to lose his balance slightly, rubbing his wounded head. "Mess with me, Di, and I'll leave you down here."

"Hmm, down here, alone in the dark or up there, alone with you?" She pretended to weight each one thoughtfully. He rolled his eyes. "Ghosts or Martin? Possession or seduction?"

"Seduction?" He knew it was coming sooner or later. "I did _not_ seduce you, Diana."

"Oh yes you did!" she shot back in a loud whisper. "You made me do it! I told you mom and dad were sleeping, but _no_! YOU DON'T LISTEN!" She stomped her foot for emphasis that she was upset.

"I'm confused, Di. Is this about you thinking I seduced you, me not listening, the fact that mom and dad now have a totally new perspective of you, or because somewhere in that perfect little head of yours, you know that you wanted it?" he asked flatly, casually leaning against the bottom railing of the stairway.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to punch that smug look off his face so bad. She wanted to throw herself in the floor like a two year old and have a tantrum. But that wasn't the way she did things, except for the punching part. Instead, she balled her hands into fists at her sides, clenched her teeth and took a long, shuddering breath.

After a moment, he walked away with a shrug, climbing the stairs as if nothing ever happened. How could he do that! How could he just walk away! From her! She kicked the door, hard, regretting it after she did. Her anger was now consumed with pain traveling up her body.

"Miss Lombard?"

A flashlight shined directly on her face and she grimaced at the sudden bright light. Mr. Henson, the school's security officer, cautiously approached her. Great.

"Oh, hi," she forced a smile, trying her best to ignore the pain throbbing in her toes for now.

"What are you doing out of your room at this hour?" he asked with professional authority. He shined the light around the lobby as if searching for someone else.

"I, um, I couldn't sleep," she lied, realizing that it came easy. Now she was a liar. She didn't know how, but Martin was somehow to blame for this. "So, I thought I'd take a walk to, you know, see if that would help."

"Uh huh." He glanced her over, trying to read her. "I heard voices. Was there anyone else down here with you?"

"Nope." Another forced smile. Martin was so dead. "Just me. I sometimes... talk...to myself when I'm alone." A weak laugh. "I felt kinda lonely."

"Are you feeling alright, Lombard?" Again, the flashlight flew over her and she nodded eagerly. "You need me to escort you back to your room?"

She shook her head swiftly, taking a couple of steps up the stairs, the flashlight following her.

"G'night, then." He waited until he could no longer see her before he turned back. "Kids..." He muttered as he walked back to the security room, sighing loudly. "I don't get paid enough for this crap..."

She stormed into his room, slamming the door back shut. Martin calmly looked over at her from his laying position on his bed where he was throwing darts onto the ceiling. She outstretched her hands, ready to strangle him, growling as she advanced over to him.

"Can we talk about this?" Part of him wanted to laugh at the sight of her. Zombie was the first thing that came to mind when he saw her. Zombie or not, he could easily overpower her. No problem. If he wanted...

He sat up when she got close enough to reach for his neck, grabbing his wrists with a puzzled look.

"No offense, Di, but you seriously need to get some sleep." He jerked her down into a sitting position on the bed. "I'm beginning to wonder if I should take you down to the asylum. You're gettin' all looney on me."

"I hate you," she sighed, pulling free of his grasp and falling back onto the bed. She was too tired to fight with him anymore, too tired to wanna kill him. Hate was the next best thing.

He looked down at her, frowning, his brown eyes sad and confused like a little boy who's mother just told him he couldn't keep his puppy. That might work on the other girls, but she wasn't about to let it work on her. Aww, but he was so cute when he feigned innocence.

"Ugh," she said in disgust at herself. She had never felt so tired in her life and she was taking it out on him when he was trying to help, in his own way of course. "I'm sorry, Martin."

"I didn't seduce you."

"Martin...!" she whined, covering her face with her hands. Was he still stuck on that? That was the last thing she wanted to discuss at the moment. She needed sleep. He removed her hands, a pleading look on his face. Here he goes again. She sighed contentedly, raising up and propping her weight up on her elbows. "No," she breathed out, shaking her head. "You didn't. And I didn't exactly tell you to stop. So, yeah, okay, I admit it."

"Admit what exactly?" He smiled like the cat that ate the canary. He was enjoying this.

She smiled, reaching a hand up to his face and kissed his lips, lingering there for a few seconds before backing away slowly.

"Satisfied?"

"Not really."

His hand came up to hold the back of her neck, simply gazing at her for a long moment. When he saw no signs of objection, he bent his head slowly and captured her lips. She gasped softly, her arms rising to lock around his neck as she raised up into a full sitting position. Her eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of his mouth on hers, hard and hot and in control. She discovered that she loved the way he kissed as his tongue slid in-between her lips seductively, slowly. Her arms tightened around him, her nails digging into his skin at the devastation on his long, slow kisses that made her head spin.

He gradually took his time, savoring every silky inch of her skin as he slyly slid his hand underneath her shirt, stroking her stomach. He released her mouth, taking a deep much needed breath. He pushed back her hair that fell over her shoulder, gently tucking it behind her ear. His arm moved slid around her back, still underneath her shirt, and pulled her close, so that she was pressed against his chest. He bent his head, kissing the soft skin below her ear.

"Seducer," she chided, surprised that she could actually speak when she could barely breathe.

She got a small laugh, causing him to pause for a quick second before continuing She could feel the heat from his body, the strength of his muscles, the possessiveness of his kisses, all of which were driving her insane. Her hands released his neck, moving over his shoulders and down his chest, mesmerized by the warmth and hard muscles under the fabric of his shirt. He was deliberately going slowly, she knew it. He was enjoying making her shiver at his touch and melt at his kisses. Every time she took she shuddering breath, she could feel his cheshire cat smile on her skin. It wasn't fair, but she wasn't even going to dare complain. Not when his lips were moving down her neck, gently biting and sucking leisurely, until her shirt stopped him from going any further.

"Cold?" he asked when she shivered in his arms, clutching his shirt desperately. He brought his head up to look at her, his eyes bright as he smirked at her.

She knew he knew damn well she wasn't cold and she would have told him as much if she could speak. Instead, she shook her head, taking him by surprise as she kissed him hard. She was tired, damnit. Tired of trying to be Little Miss Perfect. Tired of his torturing touch that caressed the bare skin of her back Tired of thinking about how wrong this was. How could it be wrong when it felt so right?

"This is wrong, isn't it?" she asked, pulling away from his lips with a heavy sigh. She hated how thoughts like that snuck up on her. Why now?

He leaned back in to answer her with another kiss only to have her stop him by placing her finger on his lips.

"I mean, to everyone else it's wrong. Can we really deal with all the going behind their backs? The sneaking?"

He thought for a minute, letting go of her and moving her hand away from his lips.

"I think you already know my answer to that," he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. "Can you?"

She looked over at him with soft emerald eyes that shined in the light. Four years ago, she promised her mother that she'd try her best to get along with an annoying little brat who, with a water gun armed, considered her target practice. Four years later, she partook in a steamy makeout session with that annoying little brat not just once, but twice. Something changed during that time frame and she didn't know whether to like it or not.

"Diana," he said softly, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek. He was still close, close enough to feel the shuddering breath on his lips that made his mind play images of what he could do to her. He licked his lips as his eyes travelled down to her parted ones. "I--"

"Martin! Java found note!"

The gigantic caveman looked in confusion as he stood in the doorway, still clutching the door knob with one hand, the other holding up a piece of paper. He blushed with a smile and walked back out of the door, closing it behind him.

"What was that?" Diana asked, glancing between the door and Martin.

"Apparently, he doesn't take orders very well. I told him to go get some sleep," he said with exasperation, standing up.

"Gee, I wonder where he gets that from?" she asked, looking pointedly at him. "I think he needs to find new friends."

A knock sounded at the door. Martin opened it, staring at the person on the other side in confusion, and stepped aside to let whoever it was in.

"Java found note."

"I think I heard you the first time, big guy." You can't help but love the oversized teddy bear! Martin snatched the note from his hands, smiling at him. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Found this in attic," Java smiled proudly, holding his head high at his achievement. "Java recognize letters."

"What is it?" Her curiosity peaked, she sprang up off the bed, reaching for the note. "What letters?"

"The letters that spell out Natalie...It's a note addressed to Jack."

"Aww, a love letter!" Diana sighed dreamily, clasping her hands together and holding them at her cheek.

"Huh, some love letter," Martin said, bursting her bubble before ideas of Cupid and his love arrows entered her mind. "More like a hate letter."

"Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure?"

"Well, for one, the big, bold 'I hate you' scribbled at the top is a dead give away." He held the note up to her face. "See?"

"Okay, Einstein, if she hated him so much, why does she still wanna be with him?"

Martin scratched the back of his head in thought. How should he know? She was the girl. Girls understand girls, right? Heaven knows he never would. Maybe it was for the best though... That was territory best left uncharted.

"I don't know, but I can think of only one way to find out."

He was insane if he thought she was gonna sit on some hook like bait for a dead fish. Not this time. He had done lost his mind. Oh wait, he'd lost that a looong time ago. He may be sexy as hell but there was no way she was gonna risk her life on something he wasn't sure about. That was plain stupid!

"Where _exactly_ are we going?" she asked, speaking to his back as they walked through the dark hallway. Now would be a good time for that old security guy to show up. Oh what was his name? Henson? Well, whatever. It wouldn't like Martin would listen to him anyway.

"You'll see," he replied over his shoulder, raising the flashlight he was carrying up to illuminate his face, waving his fingers in a spooky way. She pushed his shoulder at that, shoving him forward. He balanced himself on the lockers lining the hallway before he fell flat on his face. "Geez, Di, lighten up, will ya? I'm only having a little fun before you get possessed."

"When she gets to me, it's your turn, _Jack_!" she spat in a hushed voice, shoving a finger at the center of his back. "Then again, who knows, she might let you seduce her!" she said almost in a whisper, knowing of Java's presence behind her. How was it possible that this moron not more than an hour ago had her wanting to rip his clothes with a hunger and desire she'd never felt before? She wondered how she could hate yet love someone at the same time. "Love?" she asked herself, horrified at her own mind's betrayal. She didn't love him like that. Did she?

"Jealous, Di?" He looked at her with a slight, knowing smile.

She almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. Her eyes found his and it seemed that the world was nonexistent around her. The only person that mattered was waiting for her usual witty retort and she quickly racked her brain for one.

"What? I don't think so," she laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "That thing is nothing to be jealous over. She's not even alive!" So, it wasn't witty, but it would have to do.

"Jealous," he repeated, crossing his arms.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Doesn't he know what he's doing to me? she thought with a long exhale. Every word he said, every smile he flashed her reminded her of being in his arms, safe and protected. He was driving her crazy and there was nothing she could do about it! If Java could find a snack machine somewhere around here, maybe she could...

She bumped into him, his arms grabbing her arms to steady them both. He had stopped in front of a door with the sign 'Entry Prohibited' posted on it. Somehow, she already knew what that door led to.

"I have an idea," Martin said, looking intently at her, then at the door.

"Oh, I'm just shivering with anticipation" She was the bait. He didn't need to tell her Same strategy every time. One of these days she was gonna get him back for all the times he made her be the fish food.

"You just need to get her into her human form," he said, leaning against the metal door. "Java and I'll do the rest."

Java nodded in agreement, punching a fist into the palm of his hand.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked with a small laugh, throwing her hands up. "She's already dead. There's not much else you can do."

"You'll see, Di." He opened the door. "Hold the door, would ya, Jav?"

Obediently, Java moved to stand in front of it, holding it with his back.

"And that would lead up to the roof?" she asked uneasily. Oh, was he really gonna get his comeuppance someday soon. That was, if she got past tonight.

He smiled slightly, placing a hand on her lower back to give her a little push inside. It was dark and smelled of dust and mold, a sign that it hadn't been used in years. He moved his hand from her back to take her hand, leading her up the flight of stairs slowly until they could go no further. The door at the top shined grey in the white light of the flashlight, and every voice in her head screamed for her to go back.

"Martin..." she said hesitantly, pondering on what he was thinking as he reached for the door knob. "What if--?"

"I won't let it, I promise," he responded before she could finish. Honestly, right now he didn't want to hear the what ifs'. Even as he turned the knob, the door opening with a loud, echoing creak, he knew what the outcome could be. This was the only way he could think of ending it, but her fear was not going to happen. Not if he could help it.

The rain from the storm blew inside the stairway on a forceful wind, pounding on the concrete floor. The sound was so loud, she thought it would burst her eardrums. Her hand tightened around his, taking a step towards the opening to the outside.

"Next time, you're gonna be the bait," she managed to say before another burst of wind caught her breath, causing her to gasp at it's suddenness.

She took another step, only to be pulled away from the door and into his arms. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his neck, breathing him in as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I won't let you down, Di," he whispered softly into her ear, holding her waist possessively as if he could protect her from every evil in the world. "I'll be right there."

His breath was hot on her skin, welcoming against the frigid wind and rain that turned her body to ice, and yet he set her soul on fire, warming her instantly.

"I know." She raised her head up to meet his astonishing brown eyes and smiled while biting her lower lip. "I know."

She took a deep, lingering breath before pressing her lips to his, kissing him to prove to him that she really did know. She knew him, and she knew he'd go through hell to get to her. Even as she ended the kiss, hand in his as she backed away from him, she knew he'd be there. Her fingertips lingered on his for a couple seconds, her lips curved into a small smile at his concerned expression and she let him go.

He took a single step forward as she stepped through the doorway. She'd be fine. If he knew of anyone that could do this, it would be her. She may be all girlie in appearance, but she had a killer punch that hurt like hell. It was the thought of her having to do this alone, of having to watch her walk out onto that roof in a raging storm without him.

"Hurry up, okay?" she demanded in a gentle tone, turning to face him as drops of cold rainwater soaked her and gusts of wind blew her hair across her face.

:The door slammed shut before he could reply. He simply stared at it for a moment, getting a sense that something was horribly wrong in the pit of his stomach. He reached for the door knob, turning it. Sure, the wind could have blown it shut, but wouldn't it open back? The knob turned but refused to open, almost as if it were stuck. He threw his shoulder into it, grimacing in pain at the contact of bone against metal. It didn't budge. He repeated the step again. Nothing.

He stepped back, panting, staring at the door, concerned only about what was on the other side of it and wondering what she was being faced with. He slammed his hand against the stubborn thing desperately.

"Diana!" he called out for her, panic surging through him like electricity. "Hang on, Di! I'm coming!"

**Sorry I haven't updated lately, but I finally managed to get another chapter done. It's not as good as what I hoped for, but I got it done with a 4 year old nagging me. It's hard to write when the Wiggles are playing in the background. Anways, I hope you guys enjoy it and thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews!You're all awesome! **


	7. Chapter 7

haha...and the battle begins!

**Chapter 7**

"Martin?"

The wind must have closed the door, she thought, hugging her chest. Any minute now, he'd open it to confirm that the harsh wind did, indeed, cause the door to slam without any warning. She looked around the empty area, wondering what exactly his idea was on how to rid her of the tormenting entity. She'd do whatever it took even if she had to stand out here in the middle of the night in a storm that came from nowhere looking for something that usually found her. She was soaked from head to toe, freezing from that and the chilly wind that made her teeth chatter. In this weather, she'd be lucky to get just a cold and not pneumonia.

"Come on, Martin," she said impatiently to herself, shifting her weight between her toes and the heels of her feet. Yep, any minute now he was gonna swing that door open and greet her with one of those charming smiles of his that she secretly adored.

She turned to survey her surroundings. There was nothing but three small concrete guardrails. Her mind involuntarily pondered which one Natalie jumped off of. She shuddered at the thought, trying to think of something else, like why Martin was taking so long.

A sound behind her interrupted her thoughts and a slight smile slowly spreading on her face.

"It's about time," she said, trying her best to sound mad at him by not turning to face him. "I could have been struck by lightning up here, you know." She was so relieved that he was here, but he didn't need to know that. "Typical of you to take your time and diddle around."

"He won't be joining us at the moment. He's a little...stuck right now."

She swirled around in a blink of an eye, facing the figure which the voice came from. A young woman, about her age, blonde hair, dressed in a long black dress stood a couple of feet in front of her. Was this Natalie? But this girl was alive. She looked like a healthy, normal, yet a little creepy, young woman. Her resemblance to the ghost was uncanny though.

It's been seven days, Diana," Natalie smiled, taking a step towards her. "It's time."

"Natalie." Diana lowered her arms to her side, swallowing hard at not knowing what was about to come She could guess though.

"In the flesh," she smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Well, almost."

Diana did not like how that sounded and she knew well what it meant. Every part of her body begged for her to do something besides just stand there and gawk at the sight, but she couldn't. It was as if her feet had forged with the cemented ground and held her there. There was nowhere to run anymore. She at last had to face her nightmare face to face.

No more running...

Martin slid his back against the wall onto the floor, gasping for air. That damn door was not budging no matter how much he tried to force it to. He cast a hateful glance at his U-watch, cursing it silently for failing him when he needed it.

"Malfunction," he scoffed at it, removing it from his wrist and tossing it aside, hearing a faint clink as it hit the floor. He never thought he'd ever take his beloved baby off, but it was useless as of now and he was too frustrated to care.

His thoughts centered around Diana, wondering if she was okay. Either way, he was on a time limit and the clock was ticking. Any second now, Natalie would show her ugly face and Di would have to deal with it on her own. Not that she couldn't handle it, but he wanted to be there. He wanted to protect her, not because she needed it, but because he just... wanted to.

"So, why am I sitting here?" he asked himself. He jumped to his feet, heading down the stairs. He stopped, returning back to where he had sat and retrieved his U-watch. "Broken or not, I can't live without you." He grinned at it, lovingly replacing it back on his wrist.

He hurried down the stairs, skipping every other step as he did, looking down as not to trip over his own feet. He slammed into the door, knocking him back onto the bottom stairs. He grimaced as he laid there for a moment, waiting for the stars spinning mockingly around his head. For once, they weren't there because of Diana. Slowly, he moved to sit up, his palms flat on the floor to support him.

"Java?"

He jumped up, immediately grabbing the doorknob with both hands. He knew the door wouldn't open, but he had to be sure. He pushed against it, getting nowhere.

"Damnit!" He pounded a fist into the door, instantly regretting it. Smart move.

No way Java would close the door intentionally, which meant something else was up. He looked up at the stairs leading to the door Diana was behind. Natalie. This was her, he was sure of it. But my, hadn't she got smart. Successively, she had succeeded in separating them. She had trapped him in the stairway and Java who knows where and Diana on the roof. He was also willing to bet she was the cause of his U-watch malfunction.

Diana. Natalie had her right where she wanted her and he was the one that put her there. This wasn't part of his plan though. He hadn't intended on being trapped with no way to help her.

There's always a way, you just have to find it, he assured himself. But if anything happened to Diana, he would be the one responsible for it. It was his idea.

No, she's fine, he thought, trying to give himself at least a little hope. He refused to let himself think the terrible thoughts that formed in his head. He sighed heavily. He wouldn't give up...

On the roof, Diana was desperately trying to buy more time.

"Seriously, why would you want my life?" she chuckled nervously as she backed away. "My life is way too hectic. I mean, there's all my extracurricular activities, working at the Center, which by the way, is a huge responsibility. Would you really enjoy seeing slime everyday? Or-or-or being second guessed 24/7 by a guy who's IQ resembles that of a hyena?"

An unseasonably cold wind blew, sending the rain drops against her, feeling like a thousand needles puncturing her skin at the same time, over and over. A piercing laughter echoed around her, threatening to shatter her eardrums.

"I don't want your life, Diana," Natalie said sweetly, advancing on her with a crooked smile. "You're going to trade places with me."

"Okay..." she said slowly. This was bad.

"I'll get everything I wanted," she continued, extending her hand towards Diana. "You'll be dead, I'll be alive again and Jack and I will finally be together...forever."

Thunder roared across the sky. Diana jumped, a sick feeling overwhelming her. She was at the edge of the roof, nowhere to go but down. There were no more options left for her. This can't be the end. This is _not _the way she imagined she would go. Where the hell was Martin!

"You have no idea what it was like to see the man who you swore to love for all eternity in bed with your best friend!" She screamed the last two words, her voice rising above the already deafening thunder. "He promised me. He said we'd be together forever." Pausing, lowering her hand in sadness. "It's all your fault, Diana." Her solid form became transparent, a ghost as she took the last steps that lead her to Diana. "Now, feel the pain that I endured!"

Diana gasped, grabbing her throat, as Natalie joined her body. She couldn't breathe. Martin. Where was Martin? She collapsed forward onto roof floor, her vision blurry as the rain poured down on her from the threatening sky. She reached her hand out weakly for anyone, desperate for help.

"Martin...you promised..."

With those last words, her arm went limp and then, her eyes slowly closed.

**Short chapter, I know. Don't worry though. I'm making up for it in the next chapter (which I'm having loads of fun writing btw!) Anyways, I'm lovin' the reviews from everyone and I thank you so much for them. I really don't wanna stop writing this story since you guys have been so awesome! I hope you enjoy the last couple of chapters! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Diana groaned as a bright light forced her awake, a light that impaled through her eyelids unwelcomingly, forcing her to open them. Blinking her eyes rapidly to adjust, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her hands pressing against a rough, hard surface. Concrete? Her eyes finally focused allowing her to see that she had indeed been laying on concrete and the bright light that woke her was that of the sun beaming down on her.

She looked around the squared area, seeing no one. Of course no one would be here, she thought to herself. Why would anyone be on the roof anyway? She was. She couldn't remember exactly how she got up here or even why. Maybe it was to get some air and to relax and in the process, fell asleep. She shuddered lightly as she remembered what she dreamed. A hideous ghost of all things, chasing her and something about someone named Jack. More of a nightmare in the daytime really. The strangest part was of her and Martin. Definitely a dream that she decided to keep to herself. Not even Jenny should know about this one.

Slowly, she got to her feet, shrugging off the dream for now. She had better things to do than worry herself over some stupid nightmare. She walked over to the door and entered it, her thoughts still lingering on the dream as she descended the stairway. She'd had dreams that felt like she was really in them, but this one beat them all. She could feel the fear that she had, she could feel Martin.. No, no, no. She wasn't even going to go there. It was...sick. Her and Martin? Together? Cute, yeah he was. He could even be sexy in his own little way, but... She laughed softly to herself as she left the stairway and entered the hallway. Martin Mystery and Diana Lombard, stepbrother and stepsister, an item? Talk about ruining a reputation. Why was she even thinking about it so much?

She walked down the hallway, lost in thought. She wondered where Mr. Self-absorbed was anyway. He hadn't bothered to find her and scare her awake with Java right behind him. That was strange. Probably trying out lame pickup lines from that stupid mail order book he reads. At least he was reading something, although he definitely had bad taste in reading material..

She moved quickly out of the way as a group of boys rushed past her, turning to give them a cold glare. People could be so rude when they were in a hurry, she thought as they disappeared around a corner. She looked around the hall at the students, wondering if she was even in the right place. This was Torrington, she was sure of it, she just didn't recognize any of the people standing in the hallway. She continued to walk down the familiar hallway, receiving sympathetic glances from almost everyone she passed.

"Am I missing something here?" she asked, glancing at the students. Some shook their head in silence as she passed, others simply looked on.

Something was up, that much was clear, and it seemed to have something to do with her. She quickened her pace. The sooner she got to her room, the sooner she could call somebody and find out what was wrong with these people. With her room in sight, she took off running for it, longing to be behind the door, safe from all these people with staring problems. She reached the doorknob, turning it.

"I wouldn't go in there!" a guy with chin length black hair called out to her.

Why did that sound like something someone would say when Martin Mystery decided on doing a little redecorating? It had better not be silly string again. She had a time last year trying to get that stuff out of her carpet.

She walked in, expecting slime or some other substance but instead found something much worse.

"Oh my---" She cut herself off, a hand going up to her mouth. Maybe she got the wrong room.

In the bed was a couple, the girl apparently naked and the guy halfway, still in his white boxers. At her sudden entrance, they scrambled around, trying to keep from revealing what shouldn't be seen by her. She could hear curses coming from him as he tried to untangle himself from the sheets, failing several times miserably. She was stuck gaping at the two with wide eyes. Her feet refused to move, like they had been glued to the floor. Embarrassed could not describe how she felt.

The boy resembled Martin, the same eyes, the same pouty lips, the same clueless expression as he looked at her in surprise. She didn't get a good look at the dark haired girl as the boy had gotten off the bed just as the girl sat up and blocked her view..

"I can explain," the boy said in all seriousness like his mother had just busted him.

"Explain what?" She felt her face burn from embarrassment and she quickly turned away. "I was the one who barged in here. It was my mistake." Once word got out about this, no one would ever let her live it down. Martin especially. She could see him now, on the floor laughing at her expense at having ruined a couple's chance to be alone.

Outside the room, people were looking in, watching in silence. The boy frowned down at her in confusion and she glanced between the doorway and him. Something was odd about this scene, she just couldn't grip it. She'd think about that more later. Right now, she just wanted to run and hide until she graduated and was off to college.

"Well, okay then," she laughed nervously and leapt awkwardly toward the entryway. "Again, I apologize for interrupting...whatever it was that you two were uh...doing. I'm just gonna go and---"

The lights went off, leaving everything pitch black. Even the sunny skies outside that surely would have illuminated the room disappeared. It was only half a second before they came back on, but it was long enough to worry her. Where did the sun go in those few seconds? An eclipse maybe? But she didn't remember reading or hearing about one of those. Any and everything space was Martin's area. He lived out in space a majority of the time.

_"Diana."_

A shuddering breath escaped her at the whisper of her name. That tone, that voice for over a week had tortured her, permanently etched into her mind. It told her that the last week hadn't been just a nightmare, but a reality. She got it now. She understood. Waking up on the roof, the black dress, the unfamiliar people in the halls, this room, the couple... It made sense now.

"You wanted me to see..." Diana whispered, slowly looking around the room. She was here. She could feel her.

"_I want you to feel."_ The words were harsh and demanding, echoing in the room. She appeared in the far corner of the room, smiling menacingly as she pointed at something. _"You want to see? That can be arranged."_

Diana bit her lower lip, her eyes following the direction of Natalie's finger until she found what Natalie wanted her to 'see'. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to a gasp at what she saw. She backed up slightly, continually shaking her head.

"It's not true. It's just an illusion."

_"If that makes you feel better, then tell yourself that."_

"But...Martin?" Her lips trembled as she looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "You wouldn't do this. Not to me." She glanced over at the girl wrapped up in a white sheet to keep from revealing herself. "You." Jenny avoided her eyes, choosing instead to stare the other way. "Of all the girls here, it had to be her?"

"Diana, I... I'm sorry." Martin reached out for her, but she quickly moved away before his hand could touch her. He sighed deeply, not knowing what else to do. "Just please let me explain what happened, Di."

She closed her eyes, allowing the tears to fall freely. Let him explain? Explain what exactly? Explain that the girl he'd been chasing finally decided that he was worth the chance and now she was nothing to him? Or maybe 'it just happened'. That was a popular one. Either way, she refused to hear any of his excuses and explanations.

_"Betrayal. He lied to you. You meant nothing to him. You will always be seen as his know it all stepsister, even to him." _Natalie appeared just inches in front of her, mock sadness on her face. _"Truth hurts, doesn't it? Can you live like this? Seeing someone you love with your best friend? Knowing you'll have to face him everyday, that you'll have to see them together?"_

Diana lowered her gaze and shook her head. "No."

_"You're finally beginning to see, Diana."_

Her eyes shot open at the sound of the roaring thunder and the soft melody the rain was making as it hit the concrete surface. She sat up, emerald eyes searching the perimeter for nothing in particular. He wasn't here and he wasn't coming. No. He made his choice.

She forced herself to her feet, staring straight ahead off into the darkness. She took a step, ignoring the numbness in her legs, the weakness that wanted to claim her. The only thing she could feel was pain. The pain of seeing him with _her._ Everything he said to her that once had the power to help her get through anything meant nothing now. He had betrayed her, broke his promise and _that_ shattered her heart to tiny pieces that couldn't be put back together.

She reached the railing, stepping up without a thought as to what she was doing. She didn't care. She couldn't remember how to care or to think for that matter. Rage and pain swallowed any care she had left. She never wanted to see him again and that would be impossible. They lived in the same house, went to the same school, so seeing him would be inevitable and she couldn't have that.

She stepped off onto air, the wind pushing against her as she fell. It would be all over soon...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It would all be over soon. That thought played over and over in her mind like a broken record player. She had little knowledge of knowing what she was doing, but no will to fight against it. She felt like a bird on it's first take off, scared yet excited. Would it hurt when she hit the hard, wet ground? Would she feel a pain much worse than of that she was feeling in her heart? Would it be a quick death? Time seemed to stand still, feeling like she had been falling forever. At one point, her right arm was hit, but the pain from it resembled nothing like the emotional pain. Had she finally hit the bottom, landing on that arm or simply hit the wall of the school on her way down? She didn't dare open her eyes to see what it was for fear of staring death straight in the eyes. But she wasn't dead yet, at least, she didn't think she was. She was too aware of her own breathing and you don't need to breathe when your dead, nor do you feel pain. She had been taught that death was the end of all pain and sadness.

She opened her eyes reluctantly. She had to know.

What she saw was not that of the grim reaper, but...nothing. Nothing but a nice view of land covered in darkness. Rain was still falling, thunder still sounded and lightning still flashed as the storm raged on. She would have laughed at the thought of not being dead if it wasn't for the fact that her feet had nothing to stand on but air. She wasn't falling, just hanging there, swaying with the wind. She had gotten enough sense back to know that if she wasn't dead yet, she was about to be. If she could just reach for something...anything.

Her eyes drifted upwards, following the length of her arm that she had hit on something not less than a minute ago, still feeling the now slight pain that she had forgot about. Somehow, when you're several feet in the air, a hurt arm is the last thing you think about. What she saw sent a huge smile to her face and her eyes brightened.

"Martin!" The smiled quickly faded. "Pull me up!" She'd be happy to see him once she was on solid ground. Right now, she was a little occupied with not falling to be happy.

"What do you think I'm trying to do here!" he called out over a boom of thunder, gripping her wrist with both hands. He didn't know what happened up here, but her intelligence level dropped at the cause of it. Jumping off a building? Yeah, real smart. "You know, you're a lot heavier than you look, Diana!"

Smart ass. Diana scowled at him for his unneccessary remark. She could do without those right now. She'd deal with that later also. She reached up with her free hand, desperately trying to grab his hand that was locked onto her wrist. She slipped.

"MARTIN!"

He wasn't going to let her fall. He'd go down with her if it came to that and he really did not want to become a pancake just yet. The rain wasn't helping, causing her skin to be slippery against his making it hard to hold her, much less pull her.

"I gotcha, Di! Just hang on!" he grunted, pulling as hard as he could.

"Oh, gee, Martin, like I have anything else better to do but to HANG ON!" She would not slap him. She would not slap him. She would not slap him.

"Just chill!" he practically screamed at her. Sheesh, did she ever shut up? Well, at least she wasn't screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs. Nope. She was just screaming at him for trying to help her. Then again, how would he feel if he was the one hanging off a building?

Chill. She wasn't going to slap him. She was going to pulverize him! Chill! She felt a slight movement, just a little, but enough to restore her hope. If he managed to get her up, she'd...she'd...she didn't know what she'd do, but it wouldn't involve killing him.

He pulled, his upper body aching from trying to hold her weight, and little by little she moved just a bit closer to safety.

"Diana! Give me your hand!" She fixed him with a puzzled look. She hadn't heard him over the thunder that went off like an armed minefield. "Reach for me!"

She heard that one, applying every ounce of strength she had left to aim for his hand, which seemed like it was too far to reach. He leaned forward a little more, fearing that he'd drop her if he didn't grab her soon. His hand quickly gripped the slender hand at first contact, holding it with such force that he thought he'd break the bones located there. Hell, if it kept her from going splat on the ground, then who cares, right? She was much easier to pull, even with her nails digging into his skin on his arm, but within a couple of seconds, her arms were around his neck and she was falling to the floor of the roof.

Exasperated, he sat down beside her, laying his head back against the barrier, letting the cold rain fall onto his face. He never wanted to experience that moment again, but he wouldn't be able to stop it from playing in his mind. The fear he felt seeing her take that step off. If he had been just a second off... He didn't want to think about it, but it would always be there. The what if. "What were you thinking, Diana?" He stared up at the sky, blinking away rain that fell in his eyes.

"Huh?" Eyes that had been lost in thought quickly turned to him. "It wasn't like that, Martin. I don't know what happened," she frowned in her own confusion. "I think I was reliving Natalie's pain, her last hour". She felt like she was a word away from signing herself into a mental institution. "It was like a dream, but at the same time, I felt like I was really there. There was Jack and-and-and the lights went out and then there was you...and Jenny." She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the spot where she came to and looked down at it. "I woke up in the same place where I passed out. It felt like something was inside of me, pushing me forward, but I felt everything and I kept going. I don't think I wanted to stop." She sighed, wondering if she was making any sense at all. She looked at his expressionless face from over her shoulder.

"Diana..." He came up from behind her, taking her hands into his and placing his chin on her shoulder. "I can't lose you. Nobody annoys me like you do, Di."

"No, damn it. Take me seriously."

He looked at her in surprise, a slight smile on his lips.

"When have I ever not taken you seriously?" he chuckled softly in her ear, rubbing his hand up her arm and back down again.

"You want a list?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "Martin, I think...I think I was possessed."

"That would explain alot." He rubbed the back of his head. "Like my U-watch malfunctioning." He brought his arm up over her chest, wiping the rain off the surface of the watch with his thumb, giving her assumption some more thought. "That's the second time you've been possessed, Di. Remember the really old guy at that Blackwater Hotel?"

"The one that you caused to possess me?" She didn't remember any of that, but Java had filled her in.

"Yeah, that one," he said slowly, adding a slight chuckle. "It wasn't intentional though." She nodded, narrowing her eyes at him. "Nevermind."

Wise, Martin, she thought with a satisfied smile. Just back off.

"Anyway, Natalie's no Casper the friendly ghost, she's more like that ghost from 'Poltergeist'." He let go of her, pacing behind her. "She seperated us. Java in the hallway, me in the stairway, and you on the roof."

"But you're here now, so where's Java?" she asked, suddenly aware that he wasn't here. "Martin, where's Java?" she asked when he didn't answer.

"Um, through that door, down the stairs and somewhere around there...I hope," he replied, unsure about the exact whereabouts, but there where he was last. Diana looked worried, already heading for the stairway. He grabbed her arm, stopping her. "He's fine. He's Java. There's nothing he can't handle, Diana."

She stared at him for several long seconds, eyebrow arched.

"So you got out, but Java didn't?"

"Long story short, the doors locked, the U-watch malfunctioned..." He stopped in realization. "Natalie. Spirits weaken when they enter and leave a human body. When she left your body, it took too much energy, weakening her and allowing power back to my U-watch."

"The doors unlocked, Martin?" She knew what he was going to say before he even said it.

"I didn't check the doors," he said sheepishly with an innocent grin. She knew it.

"You destroyed school property just so you could play with the I-cutters," she tsked, rolling her eyes. Boys and their toys. "How are we supposed to explain that!"

"They'll get over it," he shrugged carelessly. "Besides, I won't tell if you don't," he said softly, flashing her a sexy smile that made her lean towards him. His fingers slid down her cheek with a feather touch, tingling with a hot trail. He then bent his head and grazed his lips along her throat.

"Martin," she whined. She hated how he did this at the wrong times, but he always managed to make her forget the bad and focus on him. He had to be the center of attention and he had a damn good way of getting it from her. "We can't do this. Not here, Martin. What if someone, like Java, comes up here?"

"Refer to my previous statements," he whispered along her neck, his breath hot and welcome against the cold rain and freezing wind.

"We have to find Java," she breathed out, pulling him towards her more than she was pushing him away.

"We'll find him, don't worry," he assured her, backing off but stroking her cheek gently. "I just...I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, Martin," she smiled, looking into his eyes. They looked darker, almost black until the lightning flashed, lighting up the deep brown that she found comforting. "Really."

"Alright," he nodded, searching her to be sure. Physically, she looked fine but he wasn't too sure about emotionally. "Come on, let's get inside before we both get struck by lightning. We gotta caveman to find." He led her towards the door by the hand to search for Java.

"Martin, wait!" There was still something she had to know, something that still bothered her. She had to know about Jenny, even if the truth hurt.

He turned back to her, still holding her hand as his expressive eyes tried to interpret her sudden nervousness.

"Did you...you know," she chuckled softly, feeling silly for even thinking about asking him. "I mean, you and Jenny?" Why was it so hard to ask it? Was it because of the thought of them two together? She didn't wanna know his answer, but she had to. He looked at her blankly, urging her to to finish the sentence with his hand. She blew her hair out of her eyes with a deep breath. "Did you sleep with Jenny?" There. It was out. She was thankful it was dark, but she was sure the red on her face was redder than any little red dress and illuminated by the flash of lightning..

"What?" Pure shock replaced the blank expression. "No!" He didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of the question or be hurt by the insinuation. "No, Di." If he had, Diana would have been the first to know. Jenny's big mouth would have told her. "What made you think that?"

"In my dream, vision, whatever, you were with Jenny."

"Whatever it was, it was wrong. It never happened. It never will." She sighed silently to herself in relief, tightening her grip on his hand. "You been dreaming about me, Di?" he asked, changing the subject for her benefit. "What kind of dreams, huh?"

"I haven't been dreaming of you, Martin," she replied defensively, trying to hide a smile. "You're delusional."

"Follow your dream boy, Di," he grinned back at her over his shoulder as he walked through the now completely open door, the destroyed door laying on the ground thanks to the I-cutters.

"You're not my dream boy, Martin,"

"Yes, I am. You know I'm right and you don't wanna admit it that I'm right."

"Shut up, Martin," she sighed, following him into the door, gingerly stepping over it. "Just...find Java."

**Come on, I couldn't kill Diana! That would be mean. Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! All of you keep this story going! Lotsa love to all of you!**


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